Xining Dining

Aside from the wonderful, picturesque sceneries that you can see in Xining, the dining experience is another reason why you should visit China’s “summer resort.” It’s interesting to say the least. The food definitely reflects the people, their culture, and their way of living. Although their dishes haven’t been given as much spotlight as those served by other cities and provinces, they are just as tasty or, in fact, even more pleasant, tastier, and better than the typical Chinese cuisines.

What Can You Expect?

Some of the dishes in Xining are still related to the Chinese, as they are made of noodles and they are also fond of soups. However, other cultures, such as those of the Tibetan and the Muslim, have also been infused into the many dishes. You can therefore find restaurants that are dedicated to serving halal food.

Located in the Tibetan plateau, in the western side of China, Xining doesn’t have immediate access to ingredients. Thus, the people have learned to depend on the many ingredients they see in their surroundings. For example, rather than throwing away the innards of an animal, they may add them instead into soups or noodles. Furthermore, the high altitude, among others, means that the climate is generally cool. They need food that can give them a lot of heat. You will then notice that at a lot of their dishes are complete—that is, are composed of several ingredients especially meat such as mutton and flour—and are heavy, filling, or hearty. They can easily warm stomachs and give them the energy to beat the heat and keep them going for the entire day.

Some of Their Popular Dishes

Here are some of the well-known dishes that you should try when you’re in Xining:

Boiled Mutton: This actually refers only to the first step of preparation. As the name suggests, the mutton is boiled before it can be steamed or eaten directly. It can also be flavored with some salt, in which it becomes one of the popular local snacks called mutton eaten with fingers. Over the year, this food can be eaten with some fork or other cutlery, so you don’t have to worry about hygiene or really using the fingers to pick and eat the food.

Niangpi: This is also referred to as niangpizi, and it is another famous snack in Xining. The main ingredient cannot be bought anywhere; instead it should be made from scratch. The base ingredient is actually wheat, which is then subjected to many different processes such as steaming. Then the niangpi is flavored with a lot of chili and vinegar. Because it’s so simple, many vendors have also come up with their own versions. They are also the go-to snacks if you don’t want to wait a long time. In less than 3 minutes, you can already have your own piping-hot niangpi.

Yogurt: The yogurt that you will find in Xining may be a bit different from the yogurt that you have in mind. It’s neatly placed in a small bowl, which is then covered by glass. They can then be stacked over the counter, so if you need to buy one, the seller can immediately hand it to you. The yogurt is usually prepared the Muslim way, created by the various Islamic families within the region. They are more solid, yet they’re soft. It’s almost similar to eating a pudding. Nevertheless, it’s called yogurt since it has a hint of sourness and sweetness.

Zasui Tang: As mentioned, because of the scarcity of some of the ingredients, the people make the most of what is available, even the innards of animals. A perfect example of that is zasui tang, which is composed of not only the meat of the lamb but also the gut, head, lungs, and other entrails of other animals such as sheep. In order to get rid of the different taste of some of the ingredients, the soup uses a lot of oil. Thus, it’s normal to see it right in your bowl. Nevertheless, it’s cooked deliciously, and it’s even served very early in the morning. If you want to live like a local, you can dunk bread into the soup.

Where to Eat

Food is almost everywhere in Xining, though the people have favored some restaurants and local markets. These include the following:

Da Ximen Restaurant: This is a very huge restaurant, with its space covering more than 4,000 square kilometers. It can also sit over 500 people, so it doesn’t come as a surprise why it’s constantly visited: there’s always room for everyone. It mainly serves Muslim dishes, although you can also find cuisines that have become very popular in Guangdong and Sichuan.

Opening Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Address: Shulin Xiang
How to Get There: Bus nos. 21 and 19

Xiao Yuan Men Restaurant: The restaurant is generally Muslim, and is one of the best sources of halal food. It stays true to the native dishes that are well-known in Xining, but then it also embraces the other flavors in China by integrating them into the local cuisine. Hence, every dish can be very complex and composed of many different flavors.

Opening Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Address: Dongguan Diaje
How to Get There: Bus nos. 1, 22, 17, 109

Rotary Western Restaurant

Although Xining dishes are very tasty, you may still end up picky or you want to eat something that’s more familiar to you. That’s not a problem since Western dishes are also common in the city. You can have plenty of these options in the Rotary Western Restaurant, which sits on the 28th floor of a hotel. Aside from the food, the guests are treated to a very beautiful view of the city, especially at night.

Address: Xi Dajie

Xining also has a number of local markets such as Shuijing Gang Shangchang near Xi Dajie. Every night, the street is in a festive mood, as hundreds of people flock here, and thousands of stalls set themselves up, offering Xining’s best dishes.

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